


Sniffles and Adagios

by lyriumnug



Category: Purple Hyacinth - Ephemerys & Sophism (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sick Character, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:29:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29412678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyriumnug/pseuds/lyriumnug
Summary: Kywi Valentine's day turns into Kywi sick day. Dumb tropes and Kym being as much of a wild card as possible ensue.
Relationships: William Hawkes & Kym Ladell, William Hawkes/Kym Ladell
Comments: 8
Kudos: 42





	Sniffles and Adagios

**Author's Note:**

> Literally so SO messy. I do not write with outlines. Dedicated to my friend Cassie. Happy Galentines to my best friend 💜

"If you're gonna make me wait, you might as well let me wait inside. It's _freezing_ out here!" Kym rushed through jittering teeth, leaning against the doorframe of Will's apartment as she rubbed her hands together and breathed into them for warmth. 

It was one of the rare occasions where both her and Will had the day off. It was also, miraculously, the one holiday where she didn't want to be alone: Valentine's. Something in her mind told her that he didn't either, and regardless of whether or not it was true, she'd find some way to weasel into his free time. 

After a couple of seconds of her whining and incessant knocks, the blond officer shuffled and opened the door, a bit slower than usual. "Kym? Why are you here?"

"I...Well I-it's…" She stumbled, not entirely sure how she could explain herself. "It's my day off and IIIIII... _don'tknowwhattodo._ You're good at that, y'know! Uh...telling me what to do."

Will let out a hoarse cough into his elbow. "You're telling me you don't have Valentine's day plans?" He said weakly, stifling a sniffle. 

" _Whoa, whoa, WHOA._ First of all, I definitely had plans; I just wanted to see if YOU did, that's all. And second...Are you okay? You're hacking like you're going to cough up a lung or something."

Looking closer at him, he looked...well, awful to say the least. His blue eyes were a dull grey, his shoulders hunched, nose a blush pink from irritation, and maybe it was just her imagination, but he looked like he was shivering a bit. It was like she was looking at the husk of his body lounging around his living room. 

"I just have some allergies, Kym. I'm fi-"

"Allergies? I don't know, you look _pretty_ sick, Will." Kym pointed, already making her way into his house, throwing her jacket on the couch, and making a b-line for the kitchen. "Don't worry, though. Your sick-day-valentine will take good care of you!"

"My sick day _what_? Kym what are you ta-" Will tried to demand, cut off by his own coughing. He closed the door and followed her into the kitchen, grabbing the coat on the way to put on a hanger instinctually. "Why are you in my kitchen?"

Before he could contest, Kym walked over to him, grabbed him as firmly as she could by the shoulders and sat him down in one of the kitchen chairs. After rolling up her sleeves she placed the back of her hand against her forehead then onto his which was drenched in sweat. 

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Definitely got a grade a sicko over here."

The sick cop rolled his eyes and collapsed into his arms on the table. Of all the days for him to be sick, it had to be Valentine's Day. Not that it really mattered to him, personally. His father was so insistent that he take another rich marriage match of his on a date. He was glad to get out of that date, but he didn't think he would be wrapped up in another one. 

"Got any carrots?"

"Carrots?" He muffled through his crossed arms, head too weak to rise from its place in them. "What, are you gonna make me soup or something?"

Kym scoffed as she rifled through his fridge. "Well, at least you're still a little aware of your surroundings. But that doesn't answer the question; I want carrots _now_."

"Y-Yeah, there should be some in the back, but there's already soup in there. I had some earlier."

"Oh...well, uh, I guess I'll just make you tea then. Why don't _youuu_ ," She drew out, going to lift him up from his underarms, "go lay on the couch or something. Take a nap and I'll come in when it's done."

Groggily groaning, Will slumped himself into the living room and almost face planted flat onto the couch without replying to her. Maybe it was that he was just too weak to respond? Hopefully, Kym didn't think anything was truly wrong or that he was mad at her for coming in. For as persistent and annoying as she could be, he was actually grateful to see her.

She was so on, so radiant at any given moment. Be it patrols, circuses, or even funerals, she could always flip a switch and brighten any situation, even though he would never admit it aloud. Did he ever value that enough? Did he ever value _her_ enough? Will wondered why or even how she could always stay so positive and kind to him. Sure, she was kind to everyone, but she always found her way into his business especially. 

As his thoughts swirled with memories of her, his eyelids became heavy. Before he knew it, he was drifting, swayed to sleep by the ambient sounds of boiling water and her absent-minded humming. 

* * *

"AAH!" Will awoke in a frenzy, almost knocking over the now lukewarm cup of tea Kym had set out for him. "W...What are you doing?"

The brown eyed woman stared down at him from her place on the arm of the couch. "Gooo _ood_ evening, sleepy man! I figured I'd finally wake you up. Sorry I had to hold your nose shut."

"How long was I out?"

"Give or take, I'd say about half an hour. I don't know why I made you tea if you were just gonna sleep anyways." She rolled her eyes, sitting up and settling down on his piano bench. "I would have woken you up but you look like you haven't slept in eight years, sooo I figured you'd need it. Feel any better?"

"Not...exactly." Will replied as he sat up and put his head in his hands, elbows planted on his thighs so he could get a direct view of her. "I don't think sleeping alone is going to help."

"Well yeah, Willame, that's what the tea and _soup_ are for. I made your favorite, too."

He upturned his eyebrow and his bottom lip dropped a little in disbelief. William was off guard and usually wouldn't have let his reaction slip, but he was too surprised. How could she have known? He never has tea at the precinct, it was always coffee. 

"You know my favorite tea? I barely drink it, Kym." 

She chuckled a little under her breath and swirled around towards the keys. "Hey, if you don't believe me, go ahead and try it. It's cold now, but I made it pretty strong."

Taking the cup to his lips, he gingerly dipped some back. "Chamomile with honey… Wait, but how?"

"You really don't remember? When we were training together to become officers you got sick once. I just remember you smelled a lot like chamomile a lot when you were trying to get better." She sighed as she reached her arms above her head in a stretch. "And the honey...that was _mostly_ just a deduction. You never drink your coffee black." 

"Well that's...pretty astute of you." 

She turned her head back and winked at him, same cheeky grin as always. "I _am_ a police officer, y'know." 

_Why do I suddenly feel so hot? Must be my fever._

William felt his cheeks heat up almost right on cue. Trying to divert his attentions, he took a few more sips of tea, enjoying the sweet undertones of honey. Why was she grinning like that and since when did she have...dimples? 

_I must really be sick..._

"So...William. Here's the thing-I," She started, placing her hands on the piano and dropping them into a hodgepodge of notes. "am _bored_ out of my **_mind_ **."

Upon hearing the dissonant chord, he cringed and hurriedly going to close the piano. "That's not an excuse to just.. _slam_ my piano!?"

" _Hey_ , I think it sounded pretty nice." She grumbled, lifting up the cover to reveal the keys again. "Look, virtuoso wonder child, you may be a pianist, but I'm pretty sure I can figure music out too."

"When was the last time you played a piano?"

"Never!" She said with a confident smile.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." He sighed, pinching his nose in annoyance before taking a seat next to her on the bench. "Scoot over, I'll...show you how to play."

The instant those words left his lips, he regretted it. Turning to his right he came face to face with Kym's hazel eyes absolutely starstruck and lit with enthusiasm. He couldn't help but fluster slightly and turn his attention back to the keys. 

"How much do you know?"

"I know what notes the keys are…? I never learned how to read sheet music. My parents couldn't afford lessons. That's a start though, right?"

"Y-Yeah, definitely." He said weakly, slightly sniffling. "Why don't I play something and you copy it after since you seem to have such a good memory? I'll do the right hand, you do the left when I'm done playing."

Kym nodded in response before placing her hands on her lap in anticipation. 

He waited a moment before laying his hand on the piano, not even noticing that his arm stretched over her chest. He had never felt performance anxiety before, why had he now? This was a piece he had played so many times before. He had to do it right. 

As Will's fingers adjusted themselves to their first position, she could only sit and watch. Kym wondered what he would play for her. Thoughts raced through her mind but they all came to a stop the instant he creepily hit the first key, the note echoing around the room brightly. 

[Listen while you read ](https://youtu.be/zYZpUeYasTE)

At that moment she felt the ambience die out. It was chilling. It made her feel...paralyzed. The song was so somber; maybe even apologetic, in a way. Kym felt goosebumps rise from her arms to all the way up her spine. Her mind became empty, no thoughts besides the process of what note could continue the melody or where it was going. 

Before she could realize, she had shut her eyes and given in to its sway. Each new chord felt like a cold embrace. It took her back to another time. 

_Daena...would you have liked this?_ _I miss when you used to play._

William stopped and turned to her as he caught a glimpse of her empty expression. "Kym?" 

"H-Huh?" She stuttered, crashing back to reality. "Sorry, did I pass out?"

"No, you uh, just closed your eyes for a bit. Did you get all of that?"

She looked at him apologetically, laughing half-heartedly. "Haha, _noooo_."

"Nevermind then, we don't have to do thi-"

"No no, I want to play still! I'm sorry, I...Here!" Kym said hastily as she took his left hand and placed it back on the keys before laying hers on top of his. "If you play it again my hands will know where to go. _Pleeease_!"

Her hand was warmer than expected, making him jolt a little. He had never noticed how much smaller her hands were than his. Despite the size, he could feel the calluses on her palms against his knuckles as he pressed down on the keys. 

"First, you put your hands on the D and A keys to make the bottom of the chord while I play the melody. You don't really have to play much besides switching the chord." 

Will moved his hands swiftly between each new sound.

"Your hand is going so far to the left I can't reach from here."

"J-Just sit closer to me."

Wordlessly, Kym scooched herself into the crutch of his shoulder, unable to find herself doing anything physically besides cautiously resting her head against his wide shoulder as he moved her hand like a puppet. He hadn't seemed to mind, or at least she hadn't noticed it had bothered him if it did at all. Will even took his other arm and wrapped it around her to reach the right side of the piano better. 

As he continued to play, she inhaled. He must have spilled some tea on himself; he smelled just like honey. She wouldn't think too hard on it, but being this close felt like an embrace to her; it was almost like they were hugging. 

Friends did this, right? _Officers_ could do this with each other and it was entirely normal. They were just hanging out, after all. She was there to keep him company because he was sick, and he was there to keep her company because she had forcefully placed herself in his vicinity. 

"What song is this?" Kym asked softly, not wanting to overpower the music. 

"Adagio." He answered, hands still moving automatically with grace. "It's usually supposed to be sung or played by strings, but I don't have the best voice."

"Heh, I bet your voice isn't _that_ bad. I think I remember it. Let me try." She chuckled before inhaling then softly resonating. 

Hearing her hum the melody as he played in tandem made Will warm up inside. Years of knowing her, and this was the first time he heard her hum. He couldn't even imagine how amazing she must have sounded if she fully sang. It gave him the courage to hum along too. 

"See?" She smiled, looking up at him from below. "You're not _that_ bad."

"I guess so...Um, Kym. I wanted to say thank you. You didn't have to be here, you know. I bet you had other plans."

"Me? The one with plans? What about you, Mr. Marry-Me-Off? I'm sure your father had tons of plans for you for Valentine's Day."

"You're not _wrong_ , but as you can see those kind of fell through." He said awkwardly, taking his hands off the keys and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm honestly a bit glad."

Kym shifted a bit to distance them. "Why, because you don't have to meet Ms. Darcy? I'm sure she actually knows how to play the piano...and _well_." 

"Of course she does, but...it's kind of refreshing to just let go and not worry about expectations. I always have to please someone. I always have to _fix_ something. At least the only thing I have to fix here is myself."

"And I'm helping with that, right? F-Fixing you...because you're _sick_."

Kym wanted to adjust herself since their position wasn't comfortable at all, but she didn't want to leave his side. She saw his beautiful blue eyes as close as she had ever seen them. They held a certain emptiness. 

Will turned his head downwards, feeling her glance on him, and she could see a smile inch onto his face, however small it was. "Yeah, I guess so. But anyways, it's getting kind of late, right? You should probably go...g-go home."

"You okay, Will? You look a little bit dazed."

"I'll be fine, I just need to get some water." He said as he removed his arm from around her and began to stand. However the moment he did he began to falter. 

"Will!"

Kym shot up from the bench and jumped straight to his side, propping herself up from under him and putting his arm around her shoulder for support. Her expression went from comfortable and flushed to worried and guilty. 

"I shouldn't have encouraged you to play when I knew you weren't feeling good. I'm sorry. You're a lot worse than I thought. "

"It's okay, Kym." He calmed, trying to stand on his own against her resistance. "I wanted to...despite it mostly happening because you were going to destroy my piano."

She sighed as she led him into his room. Kym had never wondered where he slept because that would be...weird. However, upon seeing it for the first time, she was slightly shocked. 

It wasn't as fancy as she figured it would be. The only furniture inhabiting the room was his medium sized bed covered in a light blue quilt, a nightstand to its side, and a dresser with a mirror laid atop it. The room was lit purely by the moonlight pouring in from the window. 

After taking everything in, she sat him gently on the edge of the bed and began to reach for his shirt. 

"K-Kym, what are you doing!?" He exclaimed, grabbing her wrists instinctually, earning a flush from her. 

"You have a fever. You shouldn't go to sleep wearing all these _clothes_ and you look kind of out of it right now so I... _I'm jus-_ "

Will sighed and lowered his hands. "Helping. I...I guess that makes sense. It's only weird if we make it weird, okay? I trust you, Kym. We're friends, after all. Partners."

They let a couple of seconds pass before she began working again, now undoing the buttons near his collar. He looked down at her hands, as delicate as before. Feeling her fingers brush so close to his skin made his heart skip a beat, his breath ceasing in it's inhalation. Something stirred in him - a warm circling in his chest. It made him feel like his ribs were caving in on him. 

"All you, um, have to do now is...take it off. I can look away while you get in the bed, if you want." 

For one moment in his life, the words that came out of his mouth came unprepared. 

"I don't mind."

"Huh?" You...don't _mind_ me looking at you shirtless? I mean, okay. Like you said, it's only weird if we make it weird." 

_Why did you say that?_ **_Why_ ** _did you_ **_say_ ** _that??_ **_Whydidyousaythat?????_ **

All the while of his internal panic, Will took his arms out of the sleeves and haphazardly folded his blouse swear stained shirt before putting it on the side of the bed. 

"Right." He agreed with a slight nod before slipping into his covers and sitting up against the headboard. "You can probably leave now."

_But I don't really want you to leave._

"Would it be okay if I stayed? I _should've_ mentioned earlier, but my parents think I'm on some really cool date and I don't have the heart to tell them the truth." She laughed slightly, shifting as she shot him a pleading expression. "I can sleep on the couch!" 

"My bed is pretty large. I don't want to force you onto the couch." 

"But YOU'RE sleeping in here, Will, if that wasn't obvious. What about Miss Darcy and your other _fancy ladies_. I don't wanna sleep in a bed you've been with them in."

"Once again, we're friends. There shouldn't be anything weird about two friends sleeping in the same bed. And second..." He paused with a glare, tilting his head in disbelief, "not that it really matters, but I haven't slept with any of them."

"Oh!" She said, sounding more enthusiastic than she thought would come out. "I-I mean yeah, that's...good to know I guess? If you're not _opposed_ then-" 

Kym made her way to Will and climbed over him to lay on the opposite side of the bed, rustling the sheets in the process. He could get mad at her for that later. She layed on her side, propping herself on her window to look at the moon. 

In his sleepy daze he turned to her, drawn to her slender form laying so peacefully besides him. Will found a certain pleasantness in Kym's unusual silence. Was she sleeping? Thinking? Her dark hair looked so soft in this light. 

"Are you awake?" Will asked as he turned onto his side to face her. "What are you looking at?"

"Just the moon. I'm wondering what all the other couples are doing right now." Kym pondered, taking a moment to breathe before closing her eyes. "Y'know, I used to spend Valentine's Day with someone really special every year. It hasn't been the same since we stopped doing that. I always...I always _try_ to keep myself busy so that I'm not thinking about missing those moments."

He coughed a little, somewhat from surprise and somewhat from sickness. "Sorry this wasn't the Valentine's you wanted. I really don't know why you decided to come here. This probably wasn't what you were hoping to do on Valentine's." 

Kym shifted a little and turned onto her other side, now laying face to face with him. Her cheeks flushed a little as she became a bit more conscious of her breathing, worried that he would hear in their close proximity. Will who usually looked so strong and astute now looked so frail and devoid of color. 

"Hey, I can say it was an interesting Valentine's Day to say the least." She chuckled, moving a strand of hair behind his ear that had slicked itself onto his face. "It was the first one in years I haven't spent alone." 

She'd been alone? For how long, he wondered. How many years had she just thought of the moments she'd lost. He didn't want to pry. Kym was enough of an open book to him. He knew most everything about her...right? He had to have.

"At least we have each oth-Achew!" Will sneezed loudly, shaking the bed. He hadn't realized until he opened his eyes that he had sneezed on her. "Oh god Kym, I'm sor-"

He tried to apologize before being cut off by the most incessant laughter to come out of her. "Hahaha, ew! That's so gross, Will!" 

_That's definitely the real Kym again_. 

With a soured expression he turned back to his other side. 

"Aww, c'mon Will. You have to admit it was _kind_ of funny." She said with a yawn, stretching her arms above her head before settling them underneath her pillow. 

"I'm trying to apologize for sneezing on you and you're...you're _laughing_. Sometimes I'm concerned about your mental state...but not often enough, apparently." 

"Aaand with that _lovely_ remark, I'm going to go to bed." She said, slapping her hand on his shoulder. "Happy Valentine's day." 

Despite his initial surprise, he hesitantly reached an arm out of his cocoon and placed his hand on top of hers. "Happy Valentine's day." 

She froze for a moment. Why was her heart beating so fast? Will's hand was so warm and comforting. Kym wanted those arms to hold her tightly. 

Breathing to calm herself, she slowly entwined their fingers as she started to drift to sleep. Kym scooted a bit closer, just to feel some of the warmth emanating off of him. 

"Can we stay like this…?... Will?"

As she listened closely, she heard his soft breathing, making her smile. It wasn't a perfect holiday, but seeing him feel unrestrained was enough for her. At least she could do one thing this holiday - make it the best for her Valentine as she could. 

_I'm not lonely anymore, Daena._

  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This wasn't beta read because I'm super super rushed everytime I wanna post something. Thanks for holding on for the ride. Let me know your thoughts (kudos always appreciated!).


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